Elongation factor 1 delta is enhanced following exposure to ionizing radiation.

We have used the technique of differential display of mRNA to investigate gene expression patterns in a human squamous carcinoma cell line, SCC-35, following exposure to ionizing radiation. We observed that elongation factor 1 delta (EF-1 delta) expression increased within 2 h of radiation exposure with maximum expression at 8 h. These data identify EF-1 delta as a radiation-inducible gene. Cell cycle analysis shows that EF-1 delta expression enhancement precedes G2 arrest in these cells, suggesting that EF-1 delta may participate in the G2-M cell cycle checkpoint.